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Take a Fresh Look at Your Cleared Job Search

It’s still a new year and if you’re conducting a cleared job search it may be time to take a fresh look at your approach to finding work. Here are a few suggestions for ways to make sure you’re putting your best foot forward and being smart about how you find that dream cleared job.

Resume Length

Your resume should be concise and crisp in presenting your cleared credentials. Keep in mind that hiring managers need to work quickly in order to be efficient. That’s why your resume needs to read easily, and in small bites. As we often say, your resume is an ad to get you an interview and must focus on your relevant accomplishments. It’s not your biography.

Review your resume to eliminate filler words and instead focus on figures that quantify your results where possible. It’s also imperative to include key words as they appear in a job posting. This is what recruiters scan for via keyword searches, and how candidates can be quickly eliminated…or never seen to begin with.

Mock Interviews

Initial impressions can be a deal breaker and if you are not on your “A” game at an interview, there probably won’t be a second chance. You need to practice your interviewing skills. Ask a friend, a former colleague, a mentor – someone with professional success – to run you through a mock interview. The critique should include everything: job knowledge, self-confidence, eye contact, body language and personal interaction.

Many initial interviews these days are conducted via phone so consider this format as well when doing mock interviews. You need to project positive energy and confidence through your voice. You may have talked on the phone all your life, but practice a phone screen interview as well.

Take Advantage of LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a valuable career tool, not just a job search tool. If you aren’t comfortable as a cleared worker having a public profile, remember you control the information on your profile, whom you connect with, and the information you broadcast to your network.

Use LinkedIn to find professional groups by company, skill set, profession, or branch of service. Follow their posts and comment as appropriate, which is how you can start building relationships.

LinkedIn also gives you access to folks who work at companies you may be targeting. Through these connections you may develop an inside track to opportunities or build relationships with hiring managers. This is one of the most powerful ways to use LinkedIn, and often one of the most overlooked strategies.

Twitter as a Tool

Twitter doesn’t have to be just about socializing and pop culture. Many companies these days have a Twitter page specifically for job postings and info on company culture. It offers a great way to keep tabs on a company brand and their growth. You can use LinkedIn to find recruiters from specific companies and then seek them out on Twitter. By following them you can ask questions and get insight into their personality, helping you develop a relationship. That’s helpful once you find a position of interest at their company.

Use Niche Job Boards

Many career experts cite national job boards as one of the least effective ways to get hired, while one of the most effective ways to get hired is on industry-specific sites, like ClearedJobs.Net and CyberSecJobs.com. And more effective than you applying for jobs is having your resume uploaded on your profile so recruiters can find you. Recruiters are much, much more effective at finding qualified job seekers than job seekers are at applying for jobs they are qualified for.

Networking

You know the saying that in real estate the most important thing is ‘Location, location, location.” Well, in job hunting the most important tip is networking, networking, networking. Did you catch that all the tips we’re talking about in this article are different forms of networking?

Get out and meet others in your field. Make the opportunity every time you can to talk about your search and spread the word about your skills. Set up a weekly goal to make X number of contacts to connections to remind them what you are seeking and ask their assistance. Join online and offline groups, attend conferences and participate at job fairs. Be visible, be vigilant.

Nobody ever said that looking for a job is easy. It takes determination and it takes some savvy. Use these tips to make your cleared job search more effective, and before you know it you will be getting dressed for your first day on the new job.

Pat Tovo guides job seekers in conducting successful employment searches through targeted prospecting, effective resume writing, and polished interviewing skills. She enjoys facilitating workshops and working one-on-one in career counseling.